***The weakest single from 1989 and Kendrick doesn't help make this more enjoyable not being a fan of his at all. Can see this possibly getting on my nerves in the future unless it gets higher then Uptown Junk on the ARIA EOY then I may grow to appreciate it more but that's 7 months away, for now a 2.9.

But yeah, it doesn't really fit (and Kendrick wanking over the chorus doesn't help either) and this clearly only exists because Taylor is savvy enough to know that while Bad Blood was considered by many fans to be the weakest song on the album, they'd still feel compelled to buy (on re-reading I do have to add in "or listen to" here; #joysof2015) an even worse remix, and bang, massive hit! Or perhaps she personally loves Bad Blood and upset at the criticism she decided to add in an out of place rap or two and give a worse performance herself to make people appreciate the original more. That's how it worked for me. I don't like this but it'll fit perfectly amongst the 2015 ARIA #1's so far if it gets there.

******This is basically Taylor claiming the pop throne. It has its faults but i'm gonna give it the maximum score anyway. Making an otherwise substandard song actually catchy and fun to listen to is a big achievement and for the video; who doesn't like an overblown pop extravaganza? It's been a long time since a pop star has make such an effort.

****Does a good job of improving upon the album version. Of course it doesn't showcase Kendrick's main thesis as a rapper, but its cool to see him hang out with the world's biggest pop star and hopefully won't scare too many fans. Still can't make the line about band-aids sound any better, though.

******Taylor you are amazing 😻 This is by far your best song ever, and I hope it manages another week at number 1. Kendrick Lamar is one of my fav rappers, too, so making a collab with him was awesome. 100/100 no errors in this song- I wanna just get my act together, and find a chick I can duet-cover this song with.This is seriously the kind of song I'd cover.

*****Wouldn't have picked in 2009 when she released Fearless and was still a country act, that she would become quite possibly the biggest female pop act in the world. Solid track but it goes up a star because that music video is really something.

**The version on the album bores me to death and this is no different, I don't find Kendrick's verse interesting whatsoever and the slight change in production can't save this from being dull. It's her worst single thus far for me which is a shame because I have liked, or grown to like almost all of her output. This is just so bland.

****I've got to hand it to Taylor for making this work. Of course, there is that significant production improvement which has made the chorus - which was originally rather bland with its irritating repetitive melody - into something catchy enough that got stuck in my head for a week or so. Kendrick feels very useless here but I guess a guest rapper makes a nice changeup?? I guess Swift was lucky that the release of this coincided with a time where I was really struggling with a uni subject and the existence of this helped me deal with that, albeit immaturely.

****I love Taylor and am enjoying what Kendrick is producing. While it hit number one on my personal charts, I feel that in the future I might look back and see this as a track that was riding the (powerful) wave that was Shake It Off, Blank Space and Style. Not my favourite off her album by any means, but a very clever release and still a decent track with some catchy moments.

****Where 'Blank Space' mostly failed for me, this synth pop rap collective has succeeded. Another slow grower for me this year. The cohesion isn't strong but there's an assortment of elements to garner my interest. That deep synth in the chorus gets my attention (in kind of a similar way to Lorde's 'Team') and I like the carry of the beat. Then I realise Taylor is packing some notes, particularly in the pre-chorus and late ad-lib. Kendrick Lamar provides some honest rap on the side. This has become quite fun. Completely unrecognisable to 'Love Story'. It's been a long journey since then and this is a welcome moment. 4.5*

**I'm not dissing because of the inclusion of Kendrick, in fact this pales in comparison to the original in my opinion.From the over blown film clip to the over blown production where the original album cut is simple yet effective and was probly the first song I thought was single worthy at the point of 1989's release.

*****I gotta say I kinda preferred the solo album version of this song. But adding Kendrick Lamar certainly insured that it appealed to a whole different demographic and culture which insured its massive success.